James Gunu says a processing plant, irrigation and guaranteed buyers would stop Volta tomatoes rotting and cut Ghana’s import bill.
Volta Regional Minister James Gunu has asked the government to site a tomato processing factory in the Volta Region, arguing that a plant would give farmers a guaranteed buyer, cut the volume of tomatoes that spoil after harvest, and create jobs.
He made the request at the launch of the Ghana Tomatoes Self-Sufficiency Initiative (GHATSI) at the Anlo Senior High School Park in Anloga. GHATSI is a national programme aimed at reducing Ghana's reliance on imported tomatoes and tomato products.
Why a factory
Mr. Gunu's argument is straightforward. Tomatoes are perishable. When a harvest is good and there is nowhere to sell or store the crop, prices collapse and much of the produce is lost. A processing facility would absorb that surplus and turn it into paste and other products.
He named Anloga, Keta, Akatsi North and Agotime-Ziope as leading tomato-growing areas in the region that could feed such a plant. He also asked the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, to widen GHATSI to cover more tomato-growing communities in the Volta Region.
The minister said the package GHATSI promises — irrigation, better inputs, technical help, affordable financing, insurance and off-take arrangements, meaning agreed buyers for the harvest — would lower the risk of tomato farming and attract younger people into it.
The import bill
Mr. Gunu said Ghana still spends hundreds of millions of dollars every year importing tomatoes, despite having the land, water, climate and farming workforce to meet its own demand.
He also touched on reports that Burkina Faso has suspended tomato exports to Ghana. Rather than treat it purely as a blow, he said the situation should push Ghana to move faster towards producing enough for itself. Ghana has historically depended heavily on tomatoes trucked in from Burkina Faso, particularly in the lean season.
What the region has received
The minister listed recent government support to Volta agriculture, crediting President John Dramani Mahama and Mr. Opoku.
He said more than 20,000 bags of fertiliser went to farmers in the region last year, and that this year each of the region's 18 District Assemblies has been allocated 1,500 bags.
Under the Feed Ghana poultry support programme, he said the region received 180,000 birds. Two of the 10 Farmer Service Centres being built across the country this year are going up in the Volta Region.
On irrigation, Mr. Gunu said government is working on two new dams at Have and Kpando Aziave, and that 22 existing dams in the region that have deteriorated are due for rehabilitation from next year to allow year-round farming.
Farmer unions at the launch welcomed GHATSI and called for closer cooperation between government, farmers, processors and financial institutions. Mr. Gunu said the long-term goal should be production not just for the local market but for export.
Reported first by Daily Guide Network on 2026-09-18. This article was written for our readers based on that report. Follow the link for the original coverage.
